Arranged
by Awesomepossum328
Summary: "We have decided it's time for you to get married." Maria clapped her hands happily, Nico gagged on his own spit. "Come again?" The Royal Princes have been told about an arranged marriage. And the Royal Princesses have been told the same thing. Will it be true love, or just another loveless marraige?
1. Princes

**I'm starting a new fanfic. I recently read one called "This Happens All the Time Right?" Well, I liked the main plot idea of everyone being royalty and being forced into marriage without knowing the person your marrying. So I am going to start a fanfiction like that, and I hope I finish it. (The author writing: "This Happens All the Time Right?" has not updated in so long, and that kinda bugs me) So here goes nothing.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series.**

**Once upon time there was a talented author named: Riordan, Rick.**

**The amazing book he wrote was an incredible hit.**

**But, much to everyone's discomfort, his ownership was unconditionally strict.**

**As shocking as Clarisse' Lamer-er-Maimer,**

**I still have to write a stupid disclaimer.**

**So here's the bottom line: Percy dyes his food blue and Annabeth's eyes are gray,**

**Rick owns them, and because he's Mr. Riordan, he gets his own way.**

* * *

Nico di Angelo refused to loose at something so stupid.

His good friend, Grover Underwood, had challenged him to a game of _Rock, Paper, Scissors, _and Nico had agreed. Normally Nico was a champ at _Rock, Paper, Scissors, _he beat his sister Bianca every single time when they were younger, before Bianca went to China to study medicine. But when describing Grover to _Rock, Paper, Scissors _fanactics, using the word: "champ" was an understatement. The current score? Well, Nico had been keeping track.

Grover: 36

Nico: _Nessuno. _Zip. Nothing. None. Zero. **(AN: For those who don't speak Italian, Nessuno means None. 'Cause you know, Nico's Italian.)**

The only reason they were even playing such a four-year old's game, was they were waiting for their turn to play the latest version of Call of Duty on Percy Jackson's XBOX. Percy, for some unamed reason, only had four game controllers for his gaming system. And Percy, Jason, Leo, and Travis had dove for a chance at the game, Nico and Grover had jumped at it too, but being the smaller two of the group, they had been shoved out. And on came the better game: _Rock, Paper, Scissors._

"Hey Nico?" Grover had asked.

"What?" Nico asked, not taking his eyes of the battle being played by the other boys.

"Do you want to play _Rock, Paper, Scissors_?"

"Why would I want to play that, when I can stare at my friends having fun while I'm bored to death?" Nico answered setting his bored head into his hands.

Grover shyly held up an open palm with his other hand resting atop it in a fist. Nico shrugged and mimicked his friend.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors!" Grover screamed, revealing a rock, while Nico revealed a piece of paper a few beats later.

"Nico! That's cheating!" Grover argued.

"No, you did it wrong. It's: _'rock, paper, scissors, SHOOT!'"_ Nico defended himself.

Grover rolled his eyes, "Fine, rock, paper, scissors,_ shoot!" _

Nico held out a pair of finger scissors and Grover clenched his fist into a rock, and so began _Nico di Angelo's Pathetic Losing Streak._

Nico was about to scream out in frustration when a palace servant knocked gently on the door, before letting himself into the room.

"My Princes, I am terribly sorry to interrupt your games, but the King and Queens request your prescence in the garden."

Nico sighed and followed the servant out of the game room, followed by five other princes.

**~~~**~~~**_I'm just a time lapse**~~~**~~~**_

Nico lazily trudged into the royal garden. Nico had seen it many times before, so he wasn't too impressed, but any first-timer would have been. Rows and rows of beautiful roses bushes and daisy patches. Majestic fountains were scattered everywhere, as were sculptures. Nico's eyes drifted to the Labyrinth hedge maze, never go in there. There was an old story about a gardner who went in and got lost, he came back out ten days later, completely driven mad. He turned his attention to the royals in the garden of Atlantis, of which Percy was the crowned princes of.

"Hello boys." Percy's mother, Queen Sally, addressed them casually.

The boys muttered a series of hellos as Percy kissed his mother's cheek.

"Boys, we have gathered you here today to speak to you about something." King Jupiter of Rome, Jason's father, started.

_Woah. 'We have gathered you here today.' Who's getting married?_ Nico mentally laughed at his own joke.

"We have decided on something we have been thinking about for a while." Queen Maria of Italy, Nico's mother, chimed in.

"It was inevitable. It was going to happen sooner or later, so why not sooner?" Percy's father, King Poseidon of Atlantis, spoke his words as if he had rehearsed them millions of times.

"We have decided it's time for you to get married." Maria clapped her hands happily, Nico gagged on his own spit.

"Come again?" Nico asked.

"You're getting married." King Hermes of Hermanassa, the father to Travis, said.

"Why?" Travis choked out, Percy and Jason were frozen in place.

"Well, you're going to rule the kingdoms very soon, and you need someone by your side to do such a thing." Queen Hope, Travis' mother, explained.

"Why can't Bianca rule the kingdom?" Nico demanded.

"Yeah!" said Travis, playing the sibling card. "What about Conner?"

"Nico, Bianca will rule by the side of whoever she marries. Now unless you want to marry your sister..." Maria stated, laughing at Nico's green face.

"What about Conner? He's not a girl and he's my twin. No age or gender difference, he can rule just fine!" Travis asked again.

"According to your birth certificates, Travis, you were born first." Hope smiled. "Besides I'm pretty sure I would remember."

Nico didn't know what to do. He was going to marry someone he didn't know. It wasn't fair. Who was she? What would she be like? Did she like black? She had to like black, black is essential. Nico picked up a rock laying at his feet and handed it to Grover.

Grover took it, "What's this?"

"A rock." Nico stated the obvious.

"Well, what do you want me to do with it?"

"Hit me. Put me out of my misery." Nico said, straightening his aviator jacket.

"I'm not going to hit you." Grover claimed, setting the rock back down.

Queen Sally picked up a collection of golden envelopes, "These are your future wives."

"The envelopes? Well, okay." Percy said, reaching for one.

Sally yanked it away from his grip, "No, these are_ profiles_ on your futures wives."

Sally proceded to hand each boy a specific envelope, "each girl is fitted to which would be the best match to each of you. Hopefully."

Nico took his in his hand, staring at it. He didn't know what to do with it. Couldn't he just marry the envelope? It would be way easier.

"Boys go back inside to the game room and open your envelopes."

**~~~**~~~**_I'm just a time lapse**~~~**~~~**_

"You go first, Perce." Nico said.

"Why do I have to go first." Percy fingered his envelope, nervously.

"Because first rhymes with Perce. That's why." Jason insisted, also holding his envelope with shaky hands.

"Fine."

Percy carefully broke the seal on the envelope and brought out a photo of a pretty blonde girl stapled to a peice of paper.

He read everything aloud,

_"'Name: Annabeth Chase_

_Age: 17_

_Appearance: Curly honey blonde hair, grey eyes, and athletic_

_Title: Princess of Athens_

_Parents: Queen Athena Minerva and King Frederick Chase_

_Hobbies: Reading, Architecture, Track, Strategies, Self-Defense, and Sword-fighting._

_Likes: Architecture._

_Dislikes: Spiders._

_Notes: Princess Annabeth Chase is among the smartest princess' in the world. She insists on being right all the time, and takes pride in that. She had been seen running every morning, with fellow princess, Reyna. Her sword-fighting instructor has said, 'she's on of the best sword-fighters he's ever seen.' She proves that blonde doesn't mean dumb and inable."_

"Ooo, Go Percy! A blonde! Blondes are awesomes!" A blonde-haired Jason, elbowed his friend.

Percy frowned, "I don't like blondes."

Jason frowned, but quickly went back to his nervous state as he slowly opened his own envelope.

_"Name: Piper McLean_

_Age: 16_

_Appearance: Chocolate brown hair. Eye color is unknown._

_Title: Princess of Troy_

_Parents: Queen Aphrodite Venus, and King Tristen McLean_

_Hobbies: Volunteer Work, Dance, Gymnastics, Singing, Musical Instruments, Self-Defense, and Sword-Fighting._

_Likes: Fine Arts, Volunteering, and Spending Time With Friends._

_Dislikes: Self-Induced People._

_Notes: Princess Piper McLean is considered an Angel. With all the good things she does for other people combined with her perfected beauty, she is a dream for any guy. However, she doesn't consider herself pretty, she prefers ski-jackets and her hair short and choppy. She insists to live her life to the fullest and not focus on her looks. The reason her eyes color was stated as "unknown" is because the people who havent gotten close enough to see them say that there is no one color, that her eyes change colors, from brown, to blue, to green, and back to brown. Some people say she has kaleidoscope eyes."_

"Wow Jason. Didn't know you were into the goody-goody type of girl." Travis teased.

"I highly doubt that's what she's really like. These reports are to make them look good, right? They're probably all self-absorbed or something." Jason tried to convince the others, though he was more of convincing himself.

"Sure, they are. You're probably gonna fall for this Piper girl." Travis said.

"Just read yours!"

"Fine, fine.

_Name: Katherine Gardner_

_Age: 17_

_Appearance: Straight brown hair and Blue eyes._

_Title: Princess of Demetrias_

_Parents: Queen Demeter Ceres, and King Matthew Gardner_

_Hobbies: Gardening, Singing, Volunteer Work, Horseback Riding, Tae Kwon Do, and Judo. _

_Likes: Sunny Days, Gardening, and Martial Arts_

_Dislikes: Snowy Days and Dying Plants_

_Notes: Princess Katherine Gardner has inherited her love for nature from her mother, Queen Demeter. She loves spending the day in the Garden. She has trained for eight years in the arts of Tae Kwon Do and Judo, and dislikes conflict and weapons, but insists she learns how to protect herself. She will stand up for herself and her friends. All in all, she is quite a lovely girl to marry."_

"Hey, Grover." Travis looked at his nature-loving friend. "Did we get our envelopes mixed up?"

"I don't know."

"Well read yours and let's find out." Travis urged Grover.

Grover shrugged and broke the seal on his envelope and began to read,

_"Name: Juniper Bushe_

_Age: 15 _

_Appearance: Auburn-Red hair and Green Eyes_

_Title: Princess of Sicyon_

_Parents: Queen Fern Nymph and King Birch Bushe_

_Hobbies: Gardening and Volunteer Work_

_Likes: Sunny Days, Juniper Bushes, and Children_

_Dislikes: Poison Ivy_

_Notes: Princess Juniper Bushe is a very accomplished young girl. She has built new hospitals, schools, and orphanages for the needy, and her people adore her. "I just love helping people, it makes me feel like I've made a difference in the world." Juniper said, to the press, after opening her latest hospital last Spring. She has her own environmental awareness organization called ECO: the Environmental Childrens Organization. _**(AN: Please see the bottom on ECO) **_She's a catch for any nature-lover!"_

"I don't think you guys got mixed up." Nico said.

"I think I'll stick with Garden Girl." Travis resolved.

Grover didn't say anything. He was too busy clutching his envelope to his chest, and grinning a little to excitedly, about his new nature-loving fiance.

Travis sighed at Grover, then turning to Nico, "Just go, Nico."

"Why me?" Nico asked. "Why not Leo?"

"Hey!" Leo objected.

"Because, I said so." Travis paused. "And maybe yours will be so bad, that it'll bring Grover out of his happy attack."

"Travis!" Nico complained.

"Just read the stupid paper, Nico."

"Fine.

_Name: Thalia Grace-"_

Jason squeaked.

"What's wrong?" Nico asked.

"Nothing." His voice was a few octaves high, but Nico shrugged it off.

_Age: 16"_

Percy elbowed Nico, "Ooooo! Nikki's got an older lady."

"Shut up Perce." Nico glared at him.

"She's still older." Percy laughed.

"By, like, one year!" Nico argued.

"I wonder if she's okay with a younger man..."

"Just let me finish, Percy!"

"Fine, fine." Percy motioned him on. "Sheesh."

_Appearance: Choppy Black Hair, and Blue Eyes_

_Title: Princess of Olympus_

_Parents: Zeus, High King of Greece, and Susan Grace, High Queen of Greece._

"Hey, Jason?" Percy looked puzzled. "Wasn't your mother named-"

"Percy! I said not to interrupt me!" Nico stopped Percy mid-sentence.

"But-"

"No!"

"Nic-"

"Nope!"

"See-"

"Shut up!" Nico said.

Percy closed his mouth, still looking at Jason, as if he was trying to put something together.

_"Hobbies: Archery, Self-Defense, Hunting, Track, Spearing, and Tracking._

_Likes: Black Eyeliner._

_Dislikes: Barbies._

_Notes: Princess Thalia Grace is one of a kind. She loves punk-style clothing, and the color black. She can't get enough black eyeliner, and is always wearing an anti-Barbie t-shirt. She studies archery, hunting, and tracking with Lady Artemis of Olympus, and self-defense and spearing with Lord Ares of Olympus. She is an itimidating girl, but her best friend, Princess Annabeth Chase of Athens, says, "she can be a bit hard at first, but only because she's not good around new people. Once you get to know her, she loves ice cream and can sleep all day."_

"Oh, your dream girl." Percy said, with a hint of fake excitement.

"Leo's turn!" Jason said, abruptly.

"What?" Leo asked, surprised at the sudden choosing. "Why me?"

"Everyone else has gone, Smart One." Travis said.

"Oh, right."

Leo ripped his fingered through the top of the envelop, ruining it. He could've simply opened it from the barely sticky seal, but no. He took out the paper, and turned it in his hands to where he could read it.

_"Name: Reyna Hales_

_Appearance: Black Hair, and Hazel Eyes._

_Title: Princess of Sparta_

_Parents: Queen Bellona and King Mason Hales_

_Hobbies: Sword-Fighting, Strategies, Weapon-Making, Archery, Horseback Riding, Spearing, Track, Tracking, Knife-Throwing, Short-Range Combat, Wrestling, Self Defense, Tae Kwon Do, Ju-Jit-Su, and Judo."_

"Dang." Travis said. "That girl is like a fighting killing machine."

"Yeah, but did you here that?" Leo asked. "She makes weapons. Works for me.

_Likes: Leading_

_Dislikes: Following_

_Notes: Princess Reyna Hales is a natural-born fighter and leader. She can take down ten of her own men at once, and not even break a sweat. She has pllunged herself into training with the world-renowned warrior: Lupa. She can protect herself and still has time to hang out with her friends. She can seriously embarrass any boy, within seconds. She's a great girl to be with."_

"She's okay, I guess." Leo put the paper, back into the destroyed envelope.

"Well, they're all okay." Jason added. "But, this is a major thing, guys. I mean, marriage? Especially at fifteen?" Jason nudged his head towards Nico and Grover. "And sixteen and seventeen? Do you think we're ready? That's a huge commitment, maybe we should just tell our parents that we want to wait a few years..."

"Yeah, guys." Travis joined in. "We still play Call of Duty through the night, and we definitely don't have what it takes to run our own cities. I don't think we're ready just yet."

"Yeah." Percy agreed. "Let's go tell them."

All the boys muttered in agreement as they walked to the door, before the palace servant from before turned the knob and walked in.

"I beg your pardon, once again." He said, bowing. "But the Kings and Queens wanted to ensure that you're all packed for tomorrow."

"What?" Nico asked.

"Are my princes ready to leave tomorrow?"

"Where exactly are we going?" Jason questioned, leaning forward a bit.

"To meet your brides, of course." The servant asnwered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Is there something wrong?"

Each boy glanced down at his envelope and swallowed.

* * *

**So what did you guys think of Chapter 1? I personally think there was a little too much dialouge, and I will try to fix that. I don't normally do that, but I've been having writer's block. So, check out my other stories. Be sure to read my Tratie story: "Faking It." And Reveiw!**

**Okay, so about ECO. I'm not sure if it's still around, but I have no rights to it. I believe it was started back in the 90's by a young girl, I think her name was Severn Sazuki. That could be spelt wrong, or just the wrong name all together. But if you want to see her, YouTube: "The girl who silenced the world for five minutes." She's a really amazing speaker, especially at that age. I believe she is in her twenties now, and is still an environmentalist. **

**So look at Severn and tell me what you think of her, and tell your friends about her and this story! **

**The Random Truth: Parents spend the first part of our lives teaching us to walk and talk, and the rest of it telling us to sit down and shut up.**

**REVEIW!**

* * *

**You guys are such Awesome Possums! :oD **


	2. Princesses

**Okay, sorry it took so long, but I've been busy with my other stories, which you should go read... :) Anyways, here's chapter two. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson series.**

**I find it funny how his initials are P and J like Peanut Butter and Jelly.**

* * *

Thalia Grace stared down Juniper as she made her next move.

Thalia's eyes never left Juniper, but Juniper didn't seem to notice, her happy-go-lucky smile never faltered. Thalia cleared her throat, in hopes of getting Juniper to look at her. Juniper glanced up once, but returned to her head down state, as if she wasn't the least bit bothered. Thalia was persistant thought, and she was going to win, even if she had to refuse blinking in order to make Juniper uncomfortable.

Then Juniper drew a circle in the top left, taking Thalia's only opening.

Thalia groaned as she drew a useless X in the center square, only blocking off one of two possible wins for Juniper. Juniper clapped like a child who had just be given a lifetime supply of sour gummy worms and Hershey's chocolate bars. She quickly marked down her winning O, and smiled.

"Three-in-a-row." Juniper giggled. "Tic-Tac-Toe!"

Thalia rolled her eyes, as she ripped off that sheet of paper, throwing it at waster basket so full of paper, in could've held four or five trees. Thalia had agreed to play Tic-Tac-Toe with Juniper out of boredom. She had gotten so tired of picking at the scab of the back of her elbow, and it was actually starting to hurt.

"Wanna play again?" Juniper slurred her words, already setting up another game, not even waiting for Thalia's answer.

"No thanks." Thalia said, as she stood.

"Oh come on, Thalia." Annabeth Chase piped up from across the room. She looked up slyly from her book, knowing that Thalia really didn't want too. But if Thalia didn't play, someone else would have to, and she knew for sure that Juniper wouldn't dare ask Katie while she was gardening. That was just a suicide mission. Or Reyna while she was battle training, and Piper was no where to be found. "Just play with her."

"Why don't you?" Thalia countered.

"Because you're better at it than I am." The real truth was that Annabeth was reading a fascinating book on architecture, and she had just reached the Victorian-Style Inspired Era. Annabeth had already finished her book ten times over, and could easily recite it from memory, but she just loved the Victorian Era.

Thalia thought about Annabeth's answer for a moment, taking in the faked compliment, "I am better than you aren't I?" She mumbled to herself, though she was purposely loud enough for both girls to hear her.

Annabeth surpressed the urge to roll her eyes, sinking lower in her plush grey reading chair in the corner, "You most certainly are!" Annabeth encouraged Thalia enthusiastically, as she turned the page into the history of the Rendered Triple Fronted Brick Veneer.

"All right then." Thalia sat back down, across from Juniper. "Get ready for the Tic-Tac-Toe game of your life Juni!"

Just as Thalia put a Bic ballpoint pen to the paper, the door burst open and three girls filled the room. Reyna was still in her battle armor, untying it as she went, leaving a trail. Piper had her hair tied up, no doubt because she didn't like it. Katie tossed her dirty gardening gloves onto Thalia's and Juniper's Tic-Tac-Toe paper, muttering an apology as she picked them up, and threw them farther over the paper.

"Hey Annie." Piper greeted, slipping in the chair next the Annabeth, squishing them both, but Annabeth didn't seem to notice. Annabeth raised a single finger, silencing the whole room for a moment, letting her finish her final paragraph.

When Annabeth placed her "Reading Is Magical!" bookmark into place, and closed her book, everyone went back to chatter. Reyna and Thalia talked about new spear techniques, while Katie and Juniper discussed shoveling techniques to get the best results when planting tomatoes. Piper shifted in the chair, involuntarily causing Annabeth to move as well.

"So Annie, how's it been going?" Piper asked, not specifying what 'it' was exactly, but that was okay because Annabeth knew what 'it' was.

"'It's' been going okay." Annabeth lied.

Piper eyed her suspiciously, as if she knew Annabeth was lying, but Piper didn't press and Annabeth was thankful for that.

"So, did you find a new amazingly hot guy?"

"No."

"Oh, come on, Annie." Piper sighed, dramatically, earning a chuckle from Annabeth. "When are you going to go fishing again? There are a million fish in the sea, and a great majority of them are male models..."

Annabeth laughed, "Like I could ever get a male model." She didn't say anything about not wanting one.

"Oh, come on, Annabeth, you are beautiful; drop dead gorgeous. I'm surprised no male models have broken down your door yet."

"Shut up." Annabeth playfully shoved Piper, causing her to fall out the chair, allowing Annabeth to stretch out again. Piper glared, jokingly, as her.

"Well then." Piper stood, hamming it up, as she brushed non-existant dirt off her jeans, and tossed back fly away hairs that weren't there. "I give you a compliment and you push me out of a chair. I, for one, am offended."

Annabeth merely laughed, until Piper joined her, but their joy was short lived when a servant came through the open door. He bowed deeply, in an apologetic way for interrupting them.

"My princesses, if I may, I am sorry for inconviencing you, but the Kings and Queens request your prescence in the dining hall." He bowed once more, and left.

Everyone looked to Annabeth, she simply shrugged and followed the servant to the dining hall, wondering what her parents could possibly want.

* * *

"Now, I supposed you're wondering why we gathered each of you to this castle, on this specific day." Queen Athena addressed each of the girls. Annabeth's heart lurched as she heard her mother's words, she hadn't been wondering until now. Annabeth didn't like wondering, she simply assumed it was because the girls hadn't seen each other in a while.

"This was unavoidable." King Frederick, smiled sympathectically at each girl individually, before tightenly his grip on Athena's hand. "It was going to happen some time, we've known since your births."

"I wish it didn't have to be this way, but it was the same for each of us." Queen Demeter wore a forced smile that she tried to make encouraging, but it came across as saddened, a very hard to reach state of depression where you were upset, but could smile with bright eye. Except the bright eyes were missing.

"What's going on?" Reyna asked, being the bravest of the group.

"Hush now, Reyna." Stern Queen Bellona ordered her daughter. "You'll learn soon enough." Reyna shrank beneath her mother's words. Her mother, in fact, is possibly the only person in existance that Reyna cares about and fears enough to take her words so deeply to heart.

"Girls." Queen Juno, Thalia's step-mother, stood from her chair, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. "You are getting married."

Time stopped. Just like that. Nothing else mattered in the world. Annabeth's breath caught in her throat, she didn't even realize she was still living, until Piper put a hand on her shoulder, using it to support her own self.

"What?" Reyna managed to squeak out.

"You are getting married." King Zeus looked to his daughter, Thalia, who glared at him like there was no tomorrow.

"I don't want to get married." Thalia appeared to be on the pathway to a mental breakdown. All her life, it had been just her. Just Thalia. Her mother and her brother were both dead, and Thalia didn't want anyone else in her life. Thalia wasn't even sure if she was ready for something like this, she was still very young, and wasn't prepared for marriage or even having children. Thalia nearly choked on her saliva. Children.

That was a social services diaster just waiting to happen.

"This is a profile on your future husband." Queen Aphrodite giggled, handing them each a manilla envelope. Every girl took one, giving it a nervous look.

"It's been decided." Queen Nymph, Juniper's mother, spoke. "There is no way out."

That was all Annabeth needed to hear. She gave one last glare to her mother, making it as guilt-filling as possible, but her mother's hardened stare didn't fail. Annabeth turned sharply on her heel, and stomped out of the room, Athena turning to her own husband with a blank look, but her eyes told a different story.

* * *

Annabeth slammed the door of her bedroom shut, in a furious rage.

She didn't know what to do. She could be logical, and convince her mother it wasn't the right choice for her. She could be a teenage girl, and chunk a vase at the wall before throwing herself onto her bed in self-pity. She could be the drama queen, and run away. Annabeth honestly didn't know what to do, she thought about opening the envelope, when her mind turned to Luke.

His blonde hair, and perfect teeth. He may have been a traitor, but he was her best friend before, brain-washed into believing Kronos' lies. She had always thought she loved Luke, and even assumed it was a solid fact when they started dating. But he left her for the evil side, and she had never gotten over it, even though it had been nearly a year, and he was dead. She could still hear his laugh, and feel his arms around her.

There was a sudden knock on the door, for a strange reason, Annabeth wished it were Luke. She had dreamed about it many times. He'd return, claiming he had never died, and was no longer evil. He'd tell her he loved her, as he wrapped his warm arms around her, never letting her go. The knock sounded again, bringing Annabeth out of her pleasant daydream.

"Come in!" Annabeth called.

A maid eased the door, unsurely, open. She smoothed out her apron, and bowed with a smile. "Do you need help packing, m'lady?"

Annabeth smiled sweetly, "No thank you, I think I can manage."

The maid laughed at Annabeth's small joke, "If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask any maid, we are always here to assist you."

"Thank you."

Then the maid left, and Annabeth's smiled vanished.

She looked down at the envelope in her hand. She fingered the crease, causing it to stick up a bit. She, warily, opened the envelope. She reached inside, and felt the papers, she frowned and let them go, yanking her hand out. She glared at it, tears coming to her eyes.

Then she stood up and threw it against the wall, the tears running freely.

* * *

**Okay guys, just thought of something with the little thing I put in the disclaimer about Percy's initials, well guess what Rick Riordan's could be? RR? **

**READ AND REVIEW! **

**Ha! Oh, I'm so clever sometimes I scare myself.**

**My Randomness: Did you know that most laughter in the background of TV shows is prerecorded and just replayed? A large majority it is actually from early television shows from back in the 1930s-1950s... So you're basically listening to dead people laugh...**

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**You guys are such Awesome Possums! :oD**


	3. Stubborn

**So I was just watching TV today, and I thought to myself how long had it been since I updated Arranged. So here's chapter 3! Hope I haven't lost all you guys since I haven't been updating, anyways, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series. **

**And this interrupted my CSI marathon. Stating the obvious, are we?**

* * *

Piper was fairly upset.

She didn't enjoy being forced against her will to be taken from her home and sent to an unused castle to hook up with some guy she only read about. It was true that Prince Jason had a handsome face, when she had looked at his picture, but the most handsome boys were usually the meanest.

Despite the unsettling feeling in her stomach, she was actually quite curious. Her mother had taught her that love was a beautiful thing that could found nearly anywhere, even in the most unlikely places. Nerves were unsettling inside her, though. Jason was the prince of Rome.

Rome was one of the most successful, and prideful, cities in the current time. Piper shuddered as goose bumps crept up her arm, each and every time she thought about it. Rome. What if she wasn't good enough for him? Or for his city? Or for his people?

'What ifs?' caused her great trouble, and worry to fill her mind. What if she made many mistakes as queen of Rome? What if she made the wrong decision? What if? What if? What if? Forget that. One question topped each one.

What is she hated Prince Jason? And what if he hated her?

Or worse. What if he liked her?

What would she do then? Well, she didn't know. Piper didn't have much experience with boys, though many had tried. She was afraid, needless to say, as she packed her suitcase for her journey and stay to Casadonia castle. Her mother had described it to her.

_"Oh, Piper, you will simply love it! When I was there, meeting your father, I just fell in love with it. It's absolutely beautiful! There's a garden with trimmed hedges into shapes, like hearts. There was a beach side, where we would take walks. Oh, it was breathtaking. I know you will enjoy it."_

Gross.

Casadonia castle had been used to bring royalty together for hundreds of years; it was built for it, and normally succeeded in it. As she packed a final pair of denim shorts for the hot summer weather, Piper could hear Thalia throwing things at the walk next door, but she could also sense Juniper sighing into her pillow, daydreaming of her fiancé.

The castle was going to have a difficult time with this group.

* * *

Thalia Grace was ticked off.

No one told her what to do, and when to do it. She threw another china vase at the wall. Now she had been ordered into marriage, something she never planned to do, especially with past experiences. That thought caught her off guard, as she drifted into a memory of blonde hair and blue eyes.

She remembered him quite well, all the amazing times the three of them would have. They'd laugh together, and promised each they'd be together forever; a family for eternity. They were all best friends, and inseparable, until that night. When she and Annabeth had lost him to that man; they didn't even know his name.

Love had always been against her, and now it had forced her into an unwanted marriage with a boy younger than her. Ew. It was weird, they were exactly alike. He was like a male-her, and that made it awkward.

Thalia had promised herself she wouldn't fall in love, and she wouldn't agree to it. She had been close to declaring that she wasn't going, but she figured she might as well have a little bit of fun with it. She wouldn't just turn off the boy, Nico was his name, she would have a laugh with it.

As she packed another layer of black clothing, underneath the feminine clothes her mother forced her to bring, she smiled, imagining all the fun she was going to have with this.

* * *

Juniper giggled into her pillow, and she kicked her feet, excitedly, into her pillow.

She wasn't sure how this could've possibly ended better. She couldn't have matched herself up with a boy any better. Grover. She lifted her pillow, where his picture laid underneath, she had slept on it last night, keeping him close to her. In fact, she had already packed last night, in hope there was a slight chance they would leave earlier than planned.

Juniper had never had a boyfriend before, most had run when she suggesting a gardening date. Now she was engaged to a boy who loved nature just as she did. They would rule his city of Priapos together, and ensure that every Friday was a gardening holiday.

Yes, Juniper had big dreams.

And once she was married to the boy of her dreams, she could fulfill them, with him at her side.

* * *

Reyna hacked an axe at a target in her room.

She hit in square in the center of the bulls-eye, not that it surprised her. She'd been able to that since she was five. Despite her hardened face, Reyna was a ball of emotions She'd feel a new one every minute.

Joy. Despair. Surprise. Excitement. Anger. Annoyance.

It was a wave of a new experience. Reyna had hung out with boys nearly her whole life, needing people to battle when Annabeth and Thalia were unavailable, but she never considered she'd have to spend her life with a boy. It was an idea she couldn't grasp, it gave her a headache every time she thought about it.

Leo. That was his name. Leo.

He was the Prince of Argos, a city nearly as successful in building weaponry as Sparta was in using weapons to win wars. She had known of his existence for years, but she had never met him, nor had she ever seen a picture of him until she was given one as a reference.

He was childish. She could tell from him features. He had a troublesome grin, letting her know quickly that she wouldn't see eye-to-eye with him, but she also knew there would never be a boring day.

And growing up to be a hardened warrior, Reyna could use that.

* * *

Annabeth wasn't packing, like the others.

She couldn't, and she wouldn't. It felt wrong. She simply leaned against her window sill, slightly sitting on it, and gazed out into the veranda. Nothing could replace Athens, nothing at all. It didn't matter about Perseus Jackson, the boy she was being forced to marry, he couldn't never replace Luke.

Luke. Her eyes became wet with tears at the though of his smile. He had loved her, he told her so, before he kissed her so many times. They had been together for all of two months, before he was murdered, by a cowardly man who wouldn't even show his face.

Luke had defended her to the end, and saved her in the war. That had been nearly three years ago, but even the slight reference to it was like reopening a healed wound just to pour salt into it. She felt the heat of the sun, through her window. She closed her eyes, relishing in it, tears falling down her cheeks before she hastily whipped them dry.

She could still feel his strong arms wrapped around her.

Annabeth opened her eyes, the feeling of Luke disappearing as there was a knock of her door. Her maid, Amelia, walked in, without a proper invitation, not like she needed one. Annabeth respected Amelia to great lengths, the woman grew gray hair because of Annabeth.

"My lady," Amelia addressed, eyeing Annabeth's empty suitcase, "you must pack. You will be leaving for your future husband soon."

Annabeth turned back towards her window, begging the memory of Luke's arms to come back to her, but it was a hopeless dream.

"I'm not going." Annabeth hardened her voice, ensuring that Amelia would not pick up the hints of sadness.

"My lady, stand up."

"Excuse me?" Despite the large amount of admiration Annabeth had for the old maid, it was unacceptable for Amelia to speak to her this way.

"Annabeth..." Amelia warned. "Stand. Now."

Annabeth stood, "okay, now what?"

Amelia started, "when I was a young girl, I too was placed into an unwanted marriage arrangement, and I ran away from it—"

"You're telling me to run away?"

"No, child, now hush." Amelia spoke, sharply. "I met a man in the market, thirty-seven years later, and we fell in love with each other. He told me that he had once been in an arranged marriage, but the girl had run away form him."

"It was the man."

"Yes, princess, it was." Amelia's eyes began to blink away tears.

"What's wrong?" Annabeth asked. "And what's the point of this story?"

"The point is that when I had been put to the marriage, I was eighteen years old, and when I discovered I really loved him, and we were actually married, it was too late."

Annabeth cocked her head, "What do you mean?"

"We were too old for children, for I couldn't bare one any longer. My foolishness crushed a dream of both of us. We were too old for so many things that we had wanted to do together. Yes, I did get the man I love, but if I had accepted him much sooner, we would've had a family and so much more."

"The moral?" Annabeth asked.

"The moral, child," Amelia seemed annoyed, "is to not make my mistakes. Give the boy a chance. You may find you like him now, and not in thirty-five years."

"Okay." Annabeth smiled.

Amelia returned the smile, looking as if she accomplished something great, before she left. As soon as Amelia was gone, Annabeth returned to her packing, but her smile had vanished.

* * *

Percy Jackson and his friend, Jason Grace, waited at the bottom of the staircase for the others.

Percy and Jason were both already packed and ready to leave for Casadonia Castle, where they'd meet their future wives. Neither spoke, but there was a great tension in the air. Jason constantly drummed his fingers against the engaged handle of his suitcase, while Percy tapped his foot, impatiently. Two servants came and took their suitcases out to their limousine with a brisk nod.

Nico di Angelo was next to arrive, he was at the top of the staircase. He looked from the ground to the stairs to his suitcase, and back again. Percy could sense the wheels in his head turning.

"Bombs away!" Nico hoisted his suitcase onto his shoulder and chunked it down over the side rail.

"Freakin'—" Percy dove out of the way, as did Jason. "Nico!"

Nico jogged down the stairs to meet the two boys, and his suitcase, "What? I didn't want to carry it."

Grover appeared at the top of the stairs, carrying his suitcase down like a civilized person, "You're such a kid, Nico."

"Yeah, Nick." Leo stood at the top, as Grover was about halfway down.

"See?" Grover asked. "Even Leo agrees."

"Yeah, I agree." Leo laid his suitcase down at the top, his mind working, as well. "That he did it all wrong!"

Leo kneeled down on his suitcase, and leaned, sledding down the staircase.

"Mother of—" Grover jumped out of the way, clutching his suitcase to himself, as Leo slid by with a breeze following his speed. "Leo!"

"Aw man!" Nico complained, as Leo landed at the bottom. "I should'a thought of that!"

"My princes," A servant entered the room, ignoring a wide-eyed Grover hanging onto his suitcase for dear life, half way down the stairs. "It is time to leave."

Each boy looked nervously at each other, as they all followed the servant out the door to a limousine that would take them to an airport, where a plane would take them to a new experience of love.

* * *

Hundreds of miles, from their future husbands, were the princesses sitting on their own plane to Casadonia castle.

Each girl was asleep from a late night and an early morning, but Annabeth. She sat awake, staring out the plane window, with Thalia's head resting on her shoulder. She thought about Amelia's words.

_"Give the boy a chance, you may find you like him."_

Too bad she was too stubborn to listen.

* * *

**Sorry about not updating. Busy, busy, busy. And writer's block, and pneumonia. I hope to update more often, I've got the next few chapters outlined, and hopefully I can make some drafts this weeks. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed, and I hope this chapter makes up for no updates...**

**So yes, I made a past love between Annabeth and Luke. I don't ship them at all, but it will come in later in the story. **

**Read and Review!**

* * *

**You guys are such Awesome Possums! :oD**


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